Category: HTC Vive Games

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‘Mr. Mercedes’ VR Escape Room to Land on HTC Vive July 22nd

Mr. Mercedes, the AT&T Audience Network mystery thriller TV series based on the titular Stephen King novel, is getting a VR escape room soon.

Dubbed Mr. Mercedes: Lair Escape, you step into the basement lair of one of the scariest killers from the mind of Stephen King, Brady Hartsfield (aka ‘Mr. Mercedes’). The VR escape room tosses you into the photorealistic recreation of the psychopath’s lair where you’ll have to solve various puzzles to find your way out. The title is said to incorporate footage directly from the set of Season 2 of the series.

Mr. Mercedes: Lair Escape was created by VR Playhouse, Double A Labs, and AT&T AUDIENCE Network, and was developed with Unreal Engine and Nurulize Atom View, a tool for volumetric data processing, color management, and delivery.

The title is headed to Viveport, HTC’s digital storefront for HTC Vive games, on July 22nd.

Mr. Mercedes: Lair Escape is currently available for demo at San Diego Comic Con, lasting from July 19th to July 21st. RSVP is required, so if you’re at Comic Con this weekend, click here to sign up.

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‘Racket: NX’ Leaves Early Access, Bringing ‘Breakout’ Style Room-scale Gameplay to VR

Racket: NX (2018), the futuristic VR racket game, has left Early Access on Steam and the Oculus Store.

Developed by Tel Aviv-based studio One Hamsa, Racket: NX puts a stylish VR spin on some classic game mechanics made famous in titles such as Breakout and Arkanoid. Using your single racket to break block targets, you go for the high score as you hammer the ball at the dome-shaped wall, hoping for that wall-sliding chain reaction to help you clear the level.

Racket: NX supports Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows VR headsets, and features two single player modes, and an intense multiplayer. You’ll definitely need to clear some space though, because once the targets start to envelop your entire 360 playing space, you can easily lose track of where you are (and how close you are to lamps, kittens, innocent bystanders).

Road to VR‘s Matthew MacGee was mightily impressed with Racket: NX in our Early Access review of the game, saying:

“At times it’s breathless entertainment, and a good rally will have you laughing at the sheer thrill of it all. It feels very pure, very old school, and very polished. For a game in the vanguard of the initial VR wave—embracing the most modern gaming tech—in the hands, it whisks you back to playgrounds and simpler times.”

The full title now boasts new powerups, more impressive visuals, a completely new solo campaign, and what One Hamsa calls a “much improved multiplayer.”

Image courtesy One Hamsa

While the thumping soundtrack fits really well for a heart-pounding session, you can also play with your own music now too, which is an available option through the game’s settings menu.

“Developing this game, the first One Hamsa release, has been a life changing experience for us,” the developers say in a statement on Steam. “We had many challenges along the way, and we can honestly say we would not have been able to withstand them if it wasn’t for our Early Access players. The love, enthusiasm, feedback and companionship you guys offered throughout made all the difference.”

RX: Racket is currently on sale for 25% off the usual $20 price tag, and is available from both Steam (Vive, Rift, Windows VR) and the Oculus Store (Rift).

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‘Black Mirror’ Inspired Sci-fi Mystery ‘Torn’ Confirmed for August Launch on PSVR, Rift & Vive

Torn is an upcoming sci-fi mystery puzzle from Aspyr Media that takes inspiration from The Twilight Zone and Black Mirror. Now the studio has confirmed with Road to VR that Torn is indeed launching on all supported platforms next month. 

We were curious when we saw Torn’s pre-order listing on PSN, which cited an August 28th launch date. Reaching out to Aspyr Media, the studio confirmed that the dark sci-fi mystery puzzle is indeed launching on PSVR on August 28th, along with versions for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift.

Check out the listings for Torn on both the Oculus Store (Rift) and Steam (Vive, Rift).

Image courtesy Aspyr Media

Here’s Aspyr’s description of the upcoming sci-fi mystery puzzle Torn:

Deep in a forgotten forest, video blogger Katherine Patterson discovers an abandoned mansion, filled with strange machines and disturbing experiments. This is the home of Dr. Lawrence Talbot, who was reported missing more than 64 years ago. Patterson realizes this could be worth millions, the story of her career. But when she meets Dr. Talbot in person — alive, trapped in a strange new dimension, and missing his body — Patterson realizes she was wrong. This is the story of a lifetime.

Using what appears to be a very Doctor Who-style sonic screwdriver, you manipulate objects and solve puzzle throughout the house; if the trailer is any indication, we’re in for what appears to be a highly polished experience with plenty of intrigue.

Aspyr Media is the Austin-based studio known for their work on its many PC-to-Mac ports including Call of Duty, Sid Meier’s Civilization and Star Wars.

Torn is the company’s first in-house developed game, and was written by Neill Glancy (Stranglehold) and Susan O’Connor (Tomb Raider, BioShock), with an original orchestral score composed by Garry Schyman (BioShock, Middle Earth: Shadow of War).

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‘Hotel Transylvania’ VR Rhythm Game Comes to VR Arcades in North America, Europe & China

Hot on the heels of Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018), which hit the box offices last week, comes a newly announced VR rhythm game that lets you grove to the spooky beats DJ’ed by series’ characters Drac, Mavis, or Johnny. Called Hotel Transylvania Popstic, the game is said to be featured at around 500 VR arcades across North America, Europe, and China.

As first seen in a report by Hollywood Reporter, Hotel Transylvania Popstic lets you select songs from your desired character’s playlist, avoid obstacles, and hit incoming targets using a VR peripheral developed by production studio Specular Theory called a ‘Stic’.

Check out the video below for a quick taste of what Sony Pictures Virtual Reality and Specular Theory have cooked up:

Using an HTC Vive headset, the studio’s Stic peripheral appears to use a single Vive controller for tracking, projecting a virtual two-sided laser beam to hit beat-based targets. Specular Theory CMO and co-founder Ryan Pulliam says more Popstic-based titles are currently in the works, including “a whole series of games.” As a VR newcomer, or smaller kid, the idea of holding a stick seems far less daunting than using an unfamiliar controller’s many buttons.

The game is said to include easy, medium, and hard difficulty levels, making it about as family-friendly as VR can get.

Image courtesy Specular Theory

“We noticed there weren’t a lot of games designed just for VR Arcades and there wasn’t a lot of games made for families — or for first-time users,” said Pulliam in a blog post. “That’s why we’re excited to feature characters from Sony Animation’s Hotel Transylvania franchise. Such a well-loved brand brings in families — and brand-new visitors. In addition, the game is simple and intuitive, which makes it easy to get started and eliminates the need for lengthy tutorials that delay gameplay and lead to long lines.”

The companies haven’t specified which VR arcades Hotel Transylvania Popstic is coming to, although arcades running the SpringboardVR out-of-home marketplace can access the game. If you’re in North America, Europe, or China, check with your local VR arcade to find out if Hotel Transylvania Popstic is on offer.

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Mil-Sim VR Shooter ‘Onward’ to Host Free Access Period on Steam This Weekend

Onward, the multiplayer VR shooter in Early Access, is hosting another free access weekend, this time on Steam for owners of Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

The popular mil-sim tactical shooter has hosted several free weekends since its Early Access release in 2016—and another fresh one is ready to be locked and loaded, starting July 19th at 10AM PST (local time here) until the 22nd at 1PM PST (local time here).

The game is primarily focused on online multiplayer, and includes 5v5 team deathmatch, objective-based gamemodes, solo/co-op vs AI, 30 different realistic weapons, and a host of artificial locomotion options including hand-relative locomotion, snap-turn, and of course room-scale locomotion. Check it out on Steam here.

Remember: there aren’t any HUDs or projected cross-hairs, so your shooting ability (and ability to communicate) will greatly influence your chances of nabbing that all-important victory.

The free weekend will only be available through Steam, a Downpour Interactive spokesperson announced via Reddit. For Rift users, SteamVR won’t actually be required since the game supports the Oculus SDK natively. Simply allow ‘unknown sources’ through the Oculus PC app, and boot the game directly from Steam.

To allow content from unknown sources:

  • Open the Oculus app on your PC.
  • Select Settings in the left menu.
  • Select the General tab.
  • Next to Unknown Sources, click to allow content from unknown sources.

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Retro-inspired Adventure ‘Pixel Ripped 1989’ Headed to All Major VR Platforms This Month

If you’ve been following VR since the early developer kit days, you may recognize the ultra-retro nostalgia headtrip that is Pixel Ripped 1989. The multi-dimensional platformer-meets-VR adventure is slated to arrive on PSVR, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Windows “Mixed Reality” VR headsets July 31st.

Set in the late ’80s in Britain, you sneakily try to play your handy ‘Gear Kid’ without getting caught by your overbearing school teacher. Letting your imagination fill in the gaps, a whole fantasy world envelops you as the game-within-a-game takes over. Following the adventures of in-game character Dot, you battle the evil Cyblin Lord, who breaks through to the real world to wreak havoc.

Image courtesy Arvore Immersive Experiences

Initially lead by Ana Ribeiro, Pixel Ripped 1989 is the living successor to her earlier project, Pixel Rift, an Oculus Rift DK2 demo developed back in 2014 as a part of Ribiero’s Master’s Degree project. Undeterred by the lack of the community support through Pixel Ripped’s failed 2015 Kickstarter, work on Pixel Ripped 1989 continued until very recently, culminating in the full game ready to be released on all major VR platforms soon.

Development of the game since shifted to São Paulo-based Arvore Immersive Experiences, with Ribiero as a developer.

Pixel Ripped 1989 will be available starting July 31st via PSN (PSVR), Steam (Vive, Rift, Windows VR) and the Oculus Store (Rift).

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‘Downward Spiral: Horus Station’ to Arrive on PSVR Next Month

3rd Eye Studios, the Helsinki-based developers behind Downward Spiral: Horus Station (2018), today announced the PS4 and PSVR version of the game is slated to land on PSN in August.

According to 3rd Eye’s blog, the studio is closing in to the launch of Downward Spiral: Horus Station for PlayStation 4 and PSVR.

“The version is in the final stages of certification, so only the very last bugs remain to be squashed. That also means that the release is just weeks away. We will announce the exact date as soon as we know for sure,” the creators say.

The studio also tweeted out that both the VR and traditional monitor version of the game is slated to arrive in August 2018.

Flying in zero-G, users propel themselves through the derelict Horus Space Station using a few methods, be it a retracting grappling hook, air booster, or by pushing off the station’s internals such as bulkheads and comm panels.

In our review, we thought Downward Spiral: Horus Station skimped on two crucial elements to the adventure however: story and gunplay. Despite this, it’s undeniably atmospheric and visually stunning. A soundtrack created by ex-HIM front man Ville Valo certainly sets the stage.

In addition to the campaign mission, Downward Spiral includes eight-player PvP and PvE multiplayer modes including Deathmatch, Horde and Survivor challenges. Despite the game’s misgivings, there’s a lot to like about Downward Spiral: Horus Station, so we’re definitely hoping the game’s slick visuals translate despite the PSVR’s graphical limitations.

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‘Seeking Dawn’ to See “huge” Content Update Closer to Launch on PSVR

Multiverse Entertainment, the studio behind VR sci-fi shooter Seeking Dawn (2018), recently announced their 10+ hour title is due for a “huge content” update, which is said to arrive sometime before the game makes its way to PSVR.

The team initially released plans for the update via a Steam forum post, which mention things such as bug fixes and adjustments to gameplay mechanics that should make the game more fun. Here’s the relevant bits from the Multiverse’s post:

Since yesterday’s launch of Seeking Dawn, we have received tons of constructive feedback, suggestions and good wishes from our passionate community.

There are also technical issues and bug reports that we value equally. We’d like to take the time to thank each and every one of you for using your precious time to provide us with important information so we can continue to improve Seeking Dawn.

Our mission to develop one of the best VR games is not yet finished. But thanks to your undying support, we are more encouraged than ever before.

We sincerely apologize to every player who is having technical issues at the moment. We have located several issues that require immediate attention, such as crashes, stutters, and blurry graphics. Our dev team is working night and day to fix these issues.

Also, we are making some adjustments to gameplay mechanics to make Seeking Dawn even more fun!

We will release a more detailed roadmap along with plans for new content soon. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements!

Seeking Dawn isn’t the perfect, full-length VR game many were hoping for; in our review, we gave it a middling [6.5/10] points for its inclusion of some pretty grating game mechanics, such as its overemphasis on repetitive resource collection, and its gutless item crafting and base building mechanic. These issues notwithstanding, Seeking Dawn has accomplished some important feats in graphical fidelity, and also features an interesting variability of enemy types that should keep you not only in awe of the world around you, but on your toes for some of the bigger, badder enemies out there.

In a statement obtained by VRFocus, CEO Freeman Fan says the studio has “huge content and upgrade plans,” which should release closer to the launch of the PSVR version. At the time of this writing, the game’s PSVR launch date is still TBA.

“On top of any bug-fixes, we’re working on a plan to include 5 more hours of playable story, a weapon-leveling system, new alien beasts to challenge, and texture improvements to Seeking Dawn’s already stellar visuals,” Freeman said.

We’ll be keeping an eye on further Seeking Dawn updates, so check back soon.

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‘Rick & Morty VR’, ‘Coco VR’, ‘Blade Runner 2049 VR’ & More Nominated for Emmys

The 70th Annual Emmy Awards are nearly here, and the nomination list is out. Seven pieces of VR content have made the cut, including big names such as Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (2017), Coco VR (2017), Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab (2017), and Spider-Man Homecoming VR Experience (2017) to name a few.

VR games, experiences and 360 video have found their way into two categories in particular—’Outstanding Original Interactive Program’ and ‘Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program’.

The list below highlights VR content represented in both categories. Check out the full list here, which includes all other nominees.

The Emmy Awards will air live on NBC Monday, September 17th at 8PM ET (local time here). Without further ado, here’s all the VR content in the running.

Outstanding Original Interactive Program

Back To The Moon (YouTube 360, Rift, Vive)

Created by: Google Spotlight Stories, Karen Dufilho (Executive Producer), Jan Pinkava (Executive Producer), Fx Goby (Director), Google, Nexus Studios

Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab (Rift, Go, Gear VR) 

Created by: Magnopus, Alcon Interactive, LLC, Oculus

Coco VR (Rift)

Created by: Magnopus, Disney, Pixar, Oculus

NASA JPL: Cassini’s Grand Finale (YouTube 360)

Created by: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Spider-Man Homecoming VR Experience (PSVR)

Created by: Create VR, Sony Pictures Virtual Reality

Outstanding Creative Achievement In Interactive Media Within A Scripted Program

Rick And Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (Rift, Vive, PSVR)

Created by: Adult Swim Games, Owlchemy Labs, Other Ocean Interactive. Rick and Morty Creative Team

Silicon Valley: Interactive World: Not Hotdog, VR & Twitter-Powered Pizza Drones (VR on Rift, Vive)

Created by: HBO, Brown Hill Productions

– – — – –

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‘Subnautica’ to Hit PS4 Holiday Season, PSVR Support Not Included

Panic Button Games, the studio responsible for the PSVR port of Electric Hat’s To The Top (2017), are working on bringing popular underwater survival game Subnautica (2018) to PlayStation 4. Although both Steam and Oculus Store versions of the game support VR, PS4 users won’t be so lucky; Unknown Worlds, the game’s original developers, say it probably won’t ever come to PSVR.

Announced via a PS blogpost recently, the impressively polished deep-sea survival game is slated to launch on PS4 this holiday season. Critically missing in the announcement was any mention of PSVR support.

Unknown Worlds addressed the lack of PSVR support in a statement on their blog, and gave a brief but candid look at the challenges of squeezing the game to fit the headset’s inherent graphical limitations:

Subnautica is coming to PlayStation 4, woot! Will it support PS4 Virtual Reality (VR)? This is a tricky question. The short answer is: Probably not.

The long answer is: We haven’t made any decisions about PSVR. However, the performance challenges of stuffing Subnautica onto console are already daunting. In this context, ‘performance’ means how fast the game runs, or how many ‘Frames Per Second’ (FPS) we can achieve.

High frame rates are crucial for VR. We are already battling hard achieve stable, consistent FPS above 30 on consoles, and VR requires 60+. Perhaps in the future, once we have achieved strong performance on PS4, we could revisit the question. But for now, it’s safe to assume PSVR is not on the horizon.

We’re sorry for any disappointment that causes, but we are also thankful for your feedback. After all, it was all your requests for a PS4 version that led to yesterday’s announcement. So keep telling us what you want!

Throughout its early access period, Subnautica included a ‘VR mode’ to go along with its primary support for traditional monitors.

Some of the reason why it won’t be hitting PSVR could also lie in the game’s implementation of its ‘VR mode’ in the first place, as it seems to be a pretty divisive issue among PC VR users. Although it holds a 94% positive rating on Steam (primarily containing reviews of the monitor version), many VR users cite the game’s playability in-headset. Major complaints cite frustrating controls, illegible in-game text, and overall comfort issues as concerns, which currently has it sitting at a middling 3.7/5 stars on the Oculus Store.

At any rate, it’s a shame we probably won’t be seeing Subnautica on PSVR anytime soon (or ever), as the 20+ hour main story and overall visual polish are really something VR users are craving.

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